Whats all the hubbub about the 300 blackout?

Its all the rage around here. Lots of folks just got one or want one real bad. You would think its the be all end all of cartridges. I know from speaking with several owners that they arent running cans nor do they plan to. Am I missing something here? Does it do something really spectacular? Maybe its the best all around for the AR15 platform. Not downgrading it or anything, just wondering.

as far as i know ballisticaly its about the same as 7.62x39. It just makes it possible for the AR platform to match the ballistics of an AK without any feeding problems. ARs have been chambered for 7.62x39 but always have problems( i suppose its the taper of the casing ) I dont get the big deal either.thers a ton of better options out there. ive always had a soft spot for the 6.5s

I think your answer lies in simple economics, and even more simple ignorance.

First answer: Economics; Converting a rifle(existing AR in .223) to .300 Blackout only requires changing the barrel. Simple. Mags work, rifle works, good out to 300 Meters more or less, which is about the longest distance that most folks shot with a .223.

Second Answer: Ignorance; People still talk about .223 not being able to take down a man, and that multiple shots are needed, etc. Engagements in Vietnam are still being re-told, and they tend to get a little distorted over time. An AR-15 type rilfe, using M193 equivalent ammo at a distance of up to 300 Meters is pretty devastating. THis would include both 16" and 20" barrel variants.

Change the ammo to M855, and everything changes. Much of the fragmentation that made M193 ammo effective is lost, except for a sweet-spot beginning at 150 Meters and ending at 190 Meters. M855 over-penetrates at short ranges, and stays together at longer ranges. Sad, but true. Add in a 14.5" barrel, and it gets even worse. 16" is better, and 20" is what the round was designed for, so best. Other than myself, who builds 20" barrel AR's anymore?

Sadly, even with what I have just written above, there are going to be a lot of folks who post this and that. Fine. I do not care. I have run my own tests. I speak from first hand knowledge. Both on the range, and in the shit.

My $0.02: An AR rifle, in .223, with a 20" barrel, using M193 ammo (55Gr. and moving in excess of 3000fps) is deadly accurate, and deadly effective out to a range of 300 Meters. After that, the effectiveness falls dramatically.

Back to the OP; .300 Blackout offers even better effectiveness within this envelope, and does it even out of a 16" barrel. Big part of this is: .300 Blackout holds the promise of AR accuracy and ergonomics, with AK legend knockdown. This is a potent combination, without regard to facts. It makes the user community happy, and they feel like this is the boat to jump on. Logical arguments can be made for other calibers, and other configurations, and on and on and so-such.

At the end of the day, I find .300 Blackout to have a compelling argument, and to be worth a great deal of consideration. In the words of JRS, that Prognosticator of Prognosticators: Get a complete upper in .300 Blackout, with Bolt and Carrier. Switch uppers when you want to shoot .300 BO.

Simple, and costs only about $300 vs. just a barrel. No other change required.

Last words: There is no perfect cartridge. There is no perfect weapon. All cartridges and weapons are designed and engineered to operate within a defined performance envelope. Once inside or outside that envelope, you will find deficiencies. Plain and simple.

.223 will never compete with .308 at 500 Meters for knockdown power. Same with .300 BO.

.308 at 100 yards makes a nice clean hole, and is less effective than .223 at that range.

.300 BO kicks hard at 100 and out to 300 Meters. But at 500, has less energy that SS109 / M855.

So what is best? You decide.

For me, it's .223 for 80% of the work, and .308 for 15%. Pistols for all else. Wish I had some grenades and claymores. oh well.

Thanks for the comments. I didnt have much to go on, exept the claims around here that is the best thing since sliced bread. Ooooooh, 300 blackout, yada, yada...I wouldnt mind having one myself, if prices come down a bit. But the mall ninjas here seem to think its some kinda wonder bullet sent from heaven above to deal with the problems of the lowly 5.56 nato. And dont even try to argue with them about anything like 6.5 grendel or 6.8 or anything else cause they read on the interweb....

Outside of using a suppressor Im not interested in the round but to each his own. Hell, it dosent bother me one bit that many guys like the round right now. I believe the more people that test and evaluate different calibers, weapons and building techniques the more we all learn.

Outside of using a suppressor Im not interested in the round but to each his own. Hell, it dosent bother me one bit that many guys like the round right now. I believe the more people that test and evaluate different calibers, weapons and building techniques the more we all learn.

I agree....The biggest advantage to this set-up is the ability to run 220gn subsonic ammo with a suppressor.

I have one and an AAC suppressor. I love it. I wouldn't have spent the money on one without getting the suppressor also.